Afterward, the black-robed man briefly explained that the Dark Duelists in Hang City had no intention of fighting Yu Ye any further — they only wanted to maintain good relations. Then, he quietly left.
Once he was gone, Yu Ye took some time to communicate with the Spirits of Naturia. They expressed their gratitude sincerely — even Big Brother Naturia Barkion appeared to personally apologize for An Chong's reckless actions and reaffirm his loyalty to Yu Ye.
If An Chong hadn't made such a mess, Yu Ye might not have accepted Barkion's loyalty right now.
But since things had turned out this way, of course, he'd take it — who knew, maybe tossing Barkion into the Runick deck would bring some unexpected synergy.
With his business handled and no new customers arriving, Yu Ye decided to teach Mu Ning how to properly pilot a Runick deck.
He explained common tactics — like using Rivalry of Warlords plus There Can Be Only One to lock pendulum scales, or employing Amano-Iwato to shut down monster effects.
They also practiced head-to-head matches, helping Mu Ning familiarize herself with different Runick builds and how to compensate for missing Extra Deck options.
By the end of the afternoon, after witnessing the deck's overwhelming power, Mu Ning was completely convinced — and even built her own Runick deck on the spot.
During those hours, her rank skyrocketed, and more and more duelists began to recognize the terrifying strength of the Runick Field archetype.
Even some King-tier duelists, upon seeing her activate Runick Spells, simply surrendered on the spot — closing all response windows and allowing their decks to be milled out within a few turns.
Of course, there were still a few who tried to challenge her… but let's just say Amano-Iwato warnings and Runick lock warnings left them completely powerless.
Around this time, Mu Ning also discovered Yu Ye's true rank — King Tier 1.
And not just any King Tier 1 — an absolute rank, with an unbridgeable gap between him and second place.
That evening, as Yu Ye was about to close shop and head home (since no customers had shown up), the door suddenly opened.
Mu Ning entered, holding a document folder, accompanied by a young woman about twenty years old.
The woman had almond-shaped eyes, a delicate face, and long red hair flowing down to her waist. She wore a short red-and-black skirt and followed quietly behind Mu Ning without a word.
"Good evening, Senior Yu Ye. Sorry to disturb you," Mu Ning greeted with a polite smile. "There are two matters I'd like to discuss with you."
"Go ahead." Yu Ye nodded, his gaze briefly flicking to the silent woman behind her.
Mu Ning handed him the document.
"This is a joint certification from the Inspectorate Bureau and the Duelist Association. Once you place it at your door, no one will be able to report you again. And even if someone tries, the Bureau won't accept the complaint."
"Nice. That's useful." Yu Ye nodded in satisfaction as he accepted the file.
He wasn't afraid of trouble — just annoyed when petty people tried to cause scenes that scared off customers. Having dual certification from the two official duelist authorities would make his deck-building business far more credible and his card collection efforts faster.
"Oh, and one more thing," Mu Ning added as if remembering something.
"Inside that folder is also a land deed — for all the buildings within a 200-meter radius. It's a congratulatory gift from the Bureau and the Association, welcoming you as an officially recognized duelist.
You can remodel the area however you like — just tell me the layout, and we'll handle construction and decoration."
Yu Ye blinked. That was… generous.
Of course, the real reason wasn't pure celebration.
Both organizations knew full well that Yu Ye's future wouldn't be peaceful — the Dark Duelist attack was proof enough.
And according to recent intel, more factions and families were getting involved.
That kind of chaos could easily harm innocent civilians nearby — something neither the Bureau nor the Association wanted.
So, they simply gave Yu Ye a few hundred meters of isolation zone.
Unless a Heaven-tier duelist descended and triggered a literal god-level battle, the surrounding area would remain safe.
As for how they'd found out about the Dark Duelist's visit so quickly?
They were official agencies — of course, they had eyes everywhere.
"No problem," Yu Ye said, unaware of their true motives.
He just figured, hey — free land expansion and free renovations? Who would say no to that?
With the connections he'd built these past few days, future visitors wouldn't just be casual duelists. They'd be families, factions, or even major organizations.
Continuing to use his tiny current shop for that… would look downright shabby.
Seeing Yu Ye agree, Mu Ning turned slightly toward the woman beside her.
"There's one more matter. Yuan Yuan, go ahead and speak for yourself."
The young woman clenched her fists, clearly gathering her courage.
"Senior," she began, stepping forward and bowing deeply, "my name is Ouyang Yanyan, an external contractor with the Inspectorate Bureau. I wish to ask you to help me refine my deck build."
Yu Ye's eyes narrowed slightly.
Whether she was a contractor or not didn't matter. External hire or internal staff, it was the same — he'd never been one to let others freeload from him.
Seeing that he didn't immediately respond, Yanyan seemed prepared for that and spoke again.
"I don't have the cards you'd want as payment… but I'll offer myself as the wager. If you help me rebuild my deck, I'll devote my life to your service — without complaint or regret."
Her face was firm, but her eyes betrayed her tension. She clearly feared rejection.
And she wasn't wrong — Yu Ye was about to refuse.
Her looks and figure easily outclassed the so-called "influencer idols" of his previous life, sure.
But unfortunately… a true duelist doesn't target effects.
(Unless the effect must target her, of course.)
When she saw his expression remain calm and unmoved, Yanyan's face turned pale. She knew — he was about to reject her.
At that moment, Mu Ning stepped closer and whispered in Yu Ye's ear:
"Ye, if she has potential, you should accept."
"Next time we're ambushed by multiple Dark Duelists, she can hold off one of them or their spirits. You won't have to fight so many at once.
And I heard that if you form a Duel Contract, the servant is not only 100% loyal, but can even fight duels on your behalf.
Also— you're the boss. Since when does the boss personally man the shop every day?"
Yu Ye blinked. That… actually made sense.
A Duel Contract was a master-servant pact enforced by the very laws of the Duel System.
Both parties had to agree, and once established, it couldn't be broken unless someone shattered the supreme rules of dueling themselves — an impossible feat.
With that kind of magical enforcement, not only would she be completely trustworthy, but she could act as his fighter when Dark Duelists came calling.
He could just sit back and watch his pet—no, his servant—beat the Dark Duelists to death and farm their gold.
Plus, she could manage the shop in his absence.
Honestly, that sounded… pretty damn great.
Besides, many of the Tearlaments cards he hadn't yet obtained were restricted or forbidden.
Unless he got lucky again like today, it would be nearly impossible to collect them soon.
So, investing his extra resources into raising a potentially powerful subordinate?
Not a bad move at all.
Finally, Yu Ye looked at her and said,
"Tell me your archetype. If it has enough potential, I'll give you the chance to become my servant. But you'll have to sign a Duel Contract. If you refuse, you can leave."
Yanyan's eyes flickered with hope. His words meant she still had a chance.
She took a deep breath and said nervously:
"My archetype is… Snake-Eye."
Yu Ye: "???"
Snake-Eye?!
You want to become a servant?
Shouldn't you be out there annihilating people instead?
That's one of the future's top-tier meta decks—one of the very archetypes that defined the Fire Attribute Era!
What? You say Fire Kings rule Yu-Gi-Oh?
Well… maybe their full name is "Snake-Eye Fire Kings," because the Fire Kings' greatest move is Normal Summoning Snake-Eye Blue!
And once the Magistus Engine arrived later, Fire Kings practically disappeared from existence!
Author's Note:
A quick data check — thanks to everyone for the feedback!
Some said the pacing was too fast earlier, so I slowed it down, but now it feels too sluggish. I'm adjusting it again to keep the flow engaging while ensuring solid storytelling.
Your feedback is valid — I reviewed earlier chapters and agree they were too rushed.
This one may feel a bit slow, but I'll keep tuning it for the best reading experience.A flopped author has nothing to lose, so I'll take your advice seriously!